Drilling advances ///

The US Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced development of a new “composite” drill pipe that is lighter, stronger and more flexible than steel, and which could “significantly alter the ability to drain substantially more oil/gas from rock from horizontal wells, than from traditional, vertical wells.”
Developed under a four-year, $3.6 million cooperative agreement managed by DOE's National Energy Technology Lab, the new drill pipe – made from carbon fiber resins – could be the next major technical achievement emerging from the government-industry natural gas research program. Lighter, stronger, and more flexible than steel, the pipe could significantly benefit US energy production.